Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Bill M · 30th January 2007, 01:04 PM

I have bought a bit on eBay, and know that I have been lucky sometimes and not so lucky other times.

But I just put a bid on something I like, and I don't watch it, because I can get too emotional. Get caught up in some testosterone-laden bidding war.

I also use a sniper because sometimes I see something else I like that is similar and I can delete my sniper bid, before the auction, without eBay ever knowing.

I am sometimes frustrated because people have asked me not to bid on something and I don't, only to later find out that they had such a low bid that someone else got it for less than I would have bid.

And I must confess that I have been in that same situation. I asked another collector what he thought someothing should sell for, then I put a lower bid than he would have put and we both lost it. I will not make that mistake again.

It all comes back to eBay being a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.

Still, your best bet is to buy from established dealers and the few honest sellers on eBay.

Sure looks like Eftis got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I have never bought from him, but I suspect that shill bidding is common on eBay. Unflrtunately eBay's recent policy of "Biidder 1, Bidder 2, Bidder 3....." certainly encourages this.

I used to take a careful look at the "winners" in some auctions. Too often I saw that a bidder had taken a high priced item that was not his usual. You see that he only ever bought a few things like clothes, car parts, pocket knives, then he bid on a sophisticated and expensive sword?

Oh, come on, now!

But I take some satisfaction in the knowledge that eBay did soak the seller with high listing fees for an item that never left his store. The seller did not get away unscathed.

30th January 2007, 01:04 PM	#8
Bill M Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: USA Georgia Posts: 1,599	I have bought a bit on eBay, and know that I have been lucky sometimes and not so lucky other times. But I just put a bid on something I like, and I don't watch it, because I can get too emotional. Get caught up in some testosterone-laden bidding war. I also use a sniper because sometimes I see something else I like that is similar and I can delete my sniper bid, before the auction, without eBay ever knowing. I am sometimes frustrated because people have asked me not to bid on something and I don't, only to later find out that they had such a low bid that someone else got it for less than I would have bid. And I must confess that I have been in that same situation. I asked another collector what he thought someothing should sell for, then I put a lower bid than he would have put and we both lost it. I will not make that mistake again. It all comes back to eBay being a crap shoot. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't. Still, your best bet is to buy from established dealers and the few honest sellers on eBay. Sure looks like Eftis got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I have never bought from him, but I suspect that shill bidding is common on eBay. Unflrtunately eBay's recent policy of "Biidder 1, Bidder 2, Bidder 3....." certainly encourages this. I used to take a careful look at the "winners" in some auctions. Too often I saw that a bidder had taken a high priced item that was not his usual. You see that he only ever bought a few things like clothes, car parts, pocket knives, then he bid on a sophisticated and expensive sword? Oh, come on, now! But I take some satisfaction in the knowledge that eBay did soak the seller with high listing fees for an item that never left his store. The seller did not get away unscathed.